Who are you?Octopus Ink Illustration Collaborative consists of five University of Newcastle alumni (and almost-alumni). We are all working on our own personal and commercial projects at the moment. These include: dimensional sculptures of fantasy creatures and anatomically accurate dinosaurs, digital pamphlet and poster design, children’s book, book cover and botanical illustrations.

April

I have been in love with drawing my whole life so decided to pursue it as my career. I use a variety of media to execute my illustrations including watercolour painting, coloured pencils, pen and ink, copic markers, gouache and digital rendering. I was recently awarded first class honours in Natural History Illustration at the University of Newcastle. The studio space will provide me with a suitable space to create my personal illustration work as well as make collaborative pieces with the rest of the group.

I make weird stuff. I sculpt odd creatures and create weird jewellery. I like to think of it as decorating people and places. The studio is a space I can come to avoid cats, focus on getting things made – in a space that lends itself to making, whether it’s sculpting a pair of earrings, or a fantasy beast or illustrating pages for a colouring book. In the future, I hope to be running workshops on making things the way I make things, though that might not happen within the space itself.

Because I have a range of interests when it comes to my creative pursuits including traditional illustration work as well as textiles; the studio space allows me to house a variety of art-making tools and materials that have up until now been encroaching on my living space. I am enjoying the support network the collaborative affords me and can now regularly meet with like-minded people to create artworks and share ideas.

Before becoming involved with Renew Newcastle I worked out of a shoe box containing all my worldly possessions, so moving into the Hunter Street studio with the Octopus Ink collective has provided some much needed space and the opportunity to collaborate with other creatives. I freelance as a graphic designer working with both digital and print media. My personal style gravitates towards projects that have room for a little whimsy; I especially like to add in a lot of sweet playful elements.

I use a corner of the studio space to focus on my illustration work – free from the distraction of my tennis-ball addicted dog, the ever-brimming laundry basket and the piles of other projects at home. I am currently working on a clockwork animal colouring pages, book covers for local publishers and collaborating with The Observatorium to produce a series of scientific plant illustrations.

What inspired you to get involved in Renew Newcastle?
We have friends we have seen benefitting from Renew Newcastle studio spaces and we recognised the potential for a collaborative studio space through the program. Prior to our involvement with Renew Newcastle we were all working out of our individual homes. For some of us this was particularly isolating and in limited spaces that required us to pack away our work at the end of each day. By pooling our creative and physical resources in a Renew space we not only have a dedicated studio where we can “go to work”, we have daily interaction with each other, allowing us to bounce ideas, to inspire and be inspired by the projects the others in the collective are working on. Being located where we are in Newcastle has also provided us with opportunities to network with other creatives and businesses that we would not otherwise interact with.

Tell us about the space – what was its previous use? Anything unique about it? Your response to the space?
We are currently situated in Market Square. The space we occupy apparently used to be a tanning salon – there are some *massive* power outlets on the walls. Our space has apparently been used by Renew Newcastle on and off over the last two years, though apart from a few colourful buttons on the carpet there is no lingering signs of past use. We get a good amount of natural daylight through the back windows, making it a perfect space for traditional illustration work while the larger main room allows us plenty of space to each spread out and work on our individual projects. We are currently planning a mural for one of the walls to further personalise the space. It will involve at least one octopus (no surprises there).

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